Residents urge action on incubator jobs, sewer backups and lakefront planning during Eustis public comment

Public comment at the Feb. 19 Eustis City Commission meeting highlighted several local concerns.

Pam Rivas, speaking for the Mega Workplace/UCF Incubator, described three new incubator clients and upcoming workshops and hiring, praising city support for the incubator and noting that some new hires will be ‘‘over $100,000’’ in pay. Local business owner Daniel DiVonanzo recommended accelerating bike-trail planning, cautious consideration of seaplane proposals and pursuing a suitably sited community center; he offered to assist on design and construction considerations and estimated a new 12,500-square-foot community center could cost $3.5–4 million to build at cost.

Resident Brian Kirstein reported a severe sewage backup at his home on Floral Avenue on Oct. 26 that he said caused $35,000 in damage. He said the city’s consultant initially withdrew an investigator and that city staff characterized the incident as an "act of God." The resident said his insurance's third-party inspection found no obstructions within his private lateral and requested the city’s risk manager contact him to discuss possible remedies; city staff indicated the risk manager would follow up.

Library director Anne Ivy described painting, HVAC work and a recent $500,000 grant application for phase 2 of library construction; she also flagged county library leadership turnover and potential impacts to interlocal agreements.

City staff acknowledged the reports and said they would route materials to the city manager’s office, risk manager and appropriate departments for follow-up.